White Liquid On The Floor
by EL7
Summary: Strange things are happening at Hogwarts, and by an unfortunate coincidence Draco, Ginny and Harry are forced to work together to find the source.(goes along with "Broomstick Polish")
1. White liquid on the floor

This story goes along with "Broomstick Polish", but it is much longer and quite different. Hope you enjoy it anyway.  
  
By the way, can anybody tell me what I have to do to receive also anonymous readers' reviews? I mailed ff.net but they didn't respond. *sniff*  
  
Disclaimer: All characters you recognise belong to the great J. K. Rowling.  
  
Uh, this story takes place in Draco's seventh year. Professor Barnes is the DADA teacher since sixth year and after what happened in "Broomstick Polish" Draco is not very popular any more and prefers staying alone most of the time.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Draco let himself fall onto his bed, desperately trying not to think about what happened today. It had been one of those days you'd rather be ill then go to classes.  
  
It had started in the morning, just when he went to the bathroom. Somebody had left a wet towel on the floor and Draco, still rather sleepy had stepped onto it and had landed with quite a noise on his butt. His dorm mates had had a good laugh and Draco had been pissed off ever since.  
  
After breakfast he'd had Care For Magical Creatures with Gryffindor and that Half-Giant Hagrid; that didn't help to lighten his mood very much. To make things even worse he was bitten by a crazy flubber-cat, Hagrid's newest invention. He was send to the hospital wing and had Madam Pomfrey bind his hand. Of course, she still couldn't take her eyes off the spot between Draco's legs since sixth year. At least she didn't ask him if he had solved his little "problem".  
  
To top it all he'd had Defence Against The Dark Arts in the afternoon. Surprisingly this hadn't been so bad after all, because they tried a new counter curse and everybody had to do it in front of the class. Draco had been one of very few to do it right at first try. Professor Barnes had even smiled at him. That meant that she had forgiven him for making fun of her.  
  
After his last class he had been in a much better mood and decided to go for a walk on the school grounds. He enjoyed being alone. After his father disowned him out of pure embarrassment, the Slytherins had lost interest in Draco. They had only wanted to be friends with him because of his money and social status. But now. . . well, who wanted to be friends with a perverted ferret?  
  
People from other houses had avoided him from the beginning. And for some strange reason Draco didn't have so much of a problem with this situation. He knew that he had been an asshole. And he had enjoyed it. But after what his father did to him, he decided that he didn't want to be an asshole anymore. He would make people like him by becoming a good guy. That didn't mean he wanted to become someone like Potter, but just show the people that he was human, that he had feelings, too, and that he wasn't all bad . . .  
  
He would never admit it but he had secretly begun to watch Potter and his sidekicks. What was it that made them so popular? Ok, maybe they were because they didn't insult everybody who crossed their path, but there had to be something else.  
  
Like always he couldn't find the reason, so he had gone back to the castle. He had missed dinner and had decided to pay the house elves in the kitchen a visit. On his way there he had passed by the DADA classroom. And on the floor just a few feet away from the door he had seen something.  
  
A small puddle of a strangely gleaming white liquid had been on the floor, barely visible in the dim light of the hallway. He had bent down to examine it more closely when he suddenly had heard footsteps. He had looked up and seen Potter of all people (obviously on his way to the kitchen, too) walking towards him while studying him suspiciously through narrowed eyes.  
  
Draco had forced himself up and had snarled: 'What are you looking at, Potter?' Scar-boy had narrowed his eyes a little more and opened his mouth to respond, but had closed it again when his eyes fell to the floor. And then he had grinned and had started laughing all of a sudden, terribly annoying Draco, because he couldn't understand what was so funny. But then again, there could only be one reason to laugh at Draco (since sixth year) and indeed . . .  
  
'Oh, Malfoy! I thought you would have control of yourself by now! It has to be something about that classroom!'  
  
Harry had laughed even more, but took his glasses off and tried to wipe the tears from his eyes. He had given Draco a last amused look before walking past him and continuing his way to the kitchen. Draco had glared at him the hole time and as soon as Potter was out of sight he had taken a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped the white liquid from the floor. He wouldn't want people to see the substance on the floor next morning and start again poking fun at him about THAT!  
  
Draco had quickly walked back to the dungeons, glad that he didn't meet anyone on his way.  
  
And now he was lying on his bed, the curtains tightly shut around him. He had passed the common room without anyone paying attention to him and the dormitory was empty except for him. He kept on thinking about that liquid. What was it? He thought of Potter's annoying comment and got an idea. He pulled his wand and the handkerchief from his cloak and murmured 'Lumos'. In the light of his wand the white substance seemed to gleam even more.  
  
It didn't look like sperm. In fact it didn't look like anything Draco had ever seen. He brought his wand closer to it until it touched the surface and suddenly something in there seemed to move. Draco held his head only a few inches above the substance but couldn't see anything clearly. He stood up and grabbed an empty picture frame out of his nightstand. With a simple charm he cleaned the handkerchief and put the substance on the frame.  
  
On the dark wooden underground he could now see that there was a person. And that person was a woman. He used a magnifying charm and could identify the woman. It was Professor Barnes and she was talking soundlessly. Draco wondered if this was a vision or something. What had it to do with his DADA teacher? After a few moments the vision disappeared. Draco decided to leave it until tomorrow, because he could feel his eyelids get heavy. He put the picture frame into his drawer, undressed himself and climbed into bed, where he fell almost immediately into a deep sleep.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Sooo, what do you think so far? Hope I didn't make too many mistakes. Can you guess what the white liquid is? Please, tell me what you think of this story. Is it worth going on?  
  
And it would be great if you could help me with my little problem mentioned above. It appears that I'm too dumb to find how to do it.  
  
Next part will be out soon, I think. 


	2. The Pensieve

MusicalHermione: Thank you for your review! You made my day with it! Hope you enjoy next part.  
  
Disclaimer: All characters you recognise belong to the great J. K. Rowling.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
The next morning Draco woke up with a feeling of restlessness. Something bothered him, but he couldn't put a finger on it. Then he remembered what happened the night before and he quickly opened his drawer to look at the white substance. It was still on the picture frame, gleaming strangely.  
  
Draco felt oddly relieved that it was still in place. He'd dreamed about it, but he couldn't remember what happened. He decided that he would examine the liquid thoroughly right after breakfast and if he didn't find anything interesting he would go and ask Professor Snape about it.  
  
He could also ask Professor Barnes, but he wasn't sure if he should tell her, because he had found it in front of her classroom and because he didn't know how she would react to seeing herself in there. Another reason for not going to her was, that he was afraid she would react like Potter and embarrass him again in front of the whole school.  
  
The Great Hall was nearly empty because it was still very early. Potter and his friends were already sitting at the Gryffindor table, though. Potter noticed him first when Draco entered and started laughing. He was probably telling Weasley and Granger what he had seen last night. Damn.  
  
Draco didn't pay him too much attention, though, because he wanted to finish eating fast, so he could look at the liquid before class. Today was Friday and he had Transfiguration first. In the afternoon he had Potions, where he could talk to Snape.  
  
Draco left the hall quickly and returned to his dorm. His room mates were just getting out of bed and he didn't think that he could work in peace anywhere near them. So he took the picture frame with the substance out of his drawer, put it into his bag and headed for the school grounds.  
  
He went to his favourite place under a big oak near the lake and sat down. He took the frame and put it in front of him. Then he took a quill and touched the surface of the substance with it. It was much thicker than water and more resistant. It was liquid, but it didn't flow away. It was more like some kind of glue that didn't glue. It didn't seem dangerous, so he put the quill away and touched it with his finger.  
  
And then it happened. It felt as if he was pulled through a window. For a few moments there was nothing and then he saw Professor Barnes standing beside him talking to Dumbledore. They were standing in Dumbledore's office. Draco had been there only a few times, none of them very memorable.  
  
Draco was standing right beside them but they didn't seem aware of his presence. Their expressions were both very serious and they were speaking quietly.  
  
'Tell me the truth, Albus. Are we in danger?', Professor Barnes said.  
  
'Honestly, I don't know. I don't want to believe that after we just accomplished to ensure the security of our students, something like this is happening. I hope that we can find the error soon, but at the moment we can only wait.', Dumbledore answered.  
  
'Is there any way to foresee it? Or to detect it? We could let Snuffles come here.'  
  
'Helen, I know that you want to see him, and he could help us maybe, but he is probably not even in England at the moment. I could contact Remus, though.'  
  
'Yes, that sounds . . .'  
  
Draco didn't hear Professor Barnes's answer, because he was preoccupied catching his breath after someone appeared out of nowhere and scared him half to death. After composing himself a little he glared at the petite form of Ginny Weasley, who looked rather astounded.  
  
Just as Draco wanted to give her a snide remark another person appeared out of thin air. This time it was Potter.  
  
Please not another day like yesterday, Draco thought as Harry looked around the room. Then Harry spoke to Ginny.  
  
'We are in a Pensieve. This is not yours, is it?'  
  
The question was asked towards Draco. Before he could answer Ginny did.  
  
'What exactly is a Pensieve?'  
  
'It is someone's memory, taken out of the head and materialised into a form like that white thing you touched.'  
  
Draco nearly slapped his forehead. Of course, it was a Pensieve! He should have thought of that. But he had never seen one before. Why did Potter know about it?  
  
'Is it Barnes's Pensieve?', he snapped.  
  
'No, I think it is Dumbledore's. At least his was the only one I've ever seen.'  
  
'Harry, how are we going to get out of here?'; Ginny asked.  
  
She still seemed a little confused and she kept looking at Professor Barnes and Dumbledore. Draco noticed that it was now much more difficult to understand what they were talking about. It sounded like an old radio or something.  
  
Harry noticed it, too. And looked again at Draco.  
  
'How long have you been here?'  
  
'Just a few minutes, why?'  
  
'Maybe the Memory we are looking at is fading.'  
  
Before Draco could ask him what this meant, the room began to disappear. Suddenly they were back under the oak. Draco looked down at the frame. The liquid was completely still. Harry spoke again.  
  
'Where did you get this from, anyway?'  
  
Draco smirked.  
  
'Oh, I found it yesterday evening outside the Defence Against The Dark Arts classroom. You saw it, too.'  
  
Instead of replying Harry went silent and looked as if he was thinking hard. Ginny, who didn't know what they were talking about, watched them carefully for a moment, then asked:  
  
'Is there a problem or something?'  
  
Harry looked up and shook his head.  
  
'It's just that I have no idea how a part of Dumbledore's Pensieve could get outside the DADA classroom. Usually he keeps it locked in a cupboard in his office.'  
  
'Probably, someone stole it. But what would anybody want to do with it?'  
  
Draco wasn't sure why he even asked. He wasn't interested in the answer anyway, was he? And then another question came to his mind. But Ginny spoke first.  
  
'Well, if that Pensieve contains Dumbledore's thoughts everybody could use it. I mean there must be plenty of information in there.'  
  
Harry nodded.  
  
'We should go talk to him about it. It would be best, if you came, too, Malfoy.'  
  
Draco grunted a reply, grabbed his bag and the frame and started moving towards the school. Ginny's voice made him stop again.  
  
'No, wait, we should go after class!'  
  
'Gin, I think this is more important, than Herbology. We are already late anyway. We should go now to Dumbledore.'  
  
'Potter is right. I would like to get rid of that thing', Draco said and waved the frame.  
  
So they went silently to into the school and stopped right in front of the ugly gargoyle, who guarded the entrance. Before Harry could even try to find the right password, the secret doorway opened and they could enter. At the end of the spiral staircase the door to the headmaster's office was open, too.  
  
They walked through it and stood face to face with Albus Dumbledore, who looked very old and tired. He was sitting behind his desk and looking at them expectantly. Harry took a step forward.  
  
'Sir, we found something that might belong to you.'  
  
Draco came up beside him and gave Dumbledore the picture frame with the white liquid on it. Dumbledore didn't seem surprised at all. He just asked them where they found it and Draco replied truthfully. Then Harry explained what they had been thinking and when he finished the headmaster sat back in his chair and closed his eyes for a few moments.  
  
'Does anybody else know about this?', he finally asked.  
  
'No, sir, Ginny and I at least haven't had time to talk about it to anybody.' Harry answered and looked questioningly at Malfoy.  
  
Draco shook his head and asked the question that had bothered him all the time.  
  
'Professor, why was it lying on the floor outside of the DADA classroom? Has it got anything to do with Professor Barnes, maybe?'  
  
'It was probably a mistake. The person, who took the Pensieve must have let a small amount of it drop on the floor, when he passed the classroom. I think it was just coincidence that you found a memory of Professor Barnes. But now, please listen to me. I want you three to keep quiet about this. It is very important that you don't tell anybody about this. Not even your best friends.'  
  
He looked Harry meaningfully in the eye at this.  
  
'I think you should go now, next class will start in a few minutes. You won't get detentions.'  
  
As they descended the stairs Ginny let out a sight. She had kept quiet through the hole conversation and seemed quite relieved.  
  
'Why is he making such a big secret of this?', she asked. Harry turned to her and answered:  
  
'I have no idea, but he must have a reason. I only wonder why he doesn't want me to tell Ron and Hermione.'  
  
Draco snorted behind them.  
  
'Isn't that obvious? He doesn't want everybody to know that he lost his Pensieve. That mudblood friend of yours would probably have it out after two minutes.'  
  
Harry shot him a nasty look, but before he could say anything, Draco cut him off.  
  
'By the way, do you know someone called Snuffles?'  
  
Harry stared at him with wide eyes. Draco assumed from that reaction that Potter indeed knew something. After a moment Harry composed himself again and asked innocently:  
  
'Why do you ask?'  
  
'I heard Barnes and Dumbledore talk about him in the Pensieve. I just wonder if he might have to do something with all this.'  
  
Again, Harry seemed to be thinking hard. Ginny regarded him curiously. When he finally spoke his voice sounded strangely suppressed.  
  
'I don't know anyone who's called Snuffles.'  
  
Draco narrowed his eyes, but kept quiet. He knew that Potter was lying, but he wouldn't get anything out of him at the moment. They arrived in the entrance hall. It was empty, because classes weren't over jet. Harry turned to Ginny.  
  
'What was it you wanted to talk about with me?'  
  
Ginny blushed slightly and looked at the floor.  
  
'Oh, it was nothing. Nothing important.' She glanced at her watch and said:  
  
'I have Muggle Studies next. The lesson starts in ten minutes and I have to get my books from the tower. So, uh, see you later then.'  
  
She turned away in the direction of the Gryffindor tower and practically fled from the hall.  
  
Draco snickered and shook his head.  
  
'That girl's still head over heals, Potter. Can't see what she sees in you.'  
  
'Stuff it, Malfoy. We are just friends.'  
  
'Yeah, sure. Well, am I wrong in claiming that you know pretty well what is going on here?'  
  
Again, Potter seemed to close up. He was such a bad liar.  
  
'I don't know what you are talking about. I have to go now.'  
  
He turned around and went for another staircase, but Draco's voice made him stop.  
  
All right, if you don't want to tell, I'll have to find out by myself. Don't think I'd give up so easy.'  
  
Harry eyes him for a moment over his shoulder, then murmured 'Whatever' and stalked away.  
  
Draco looked at his back and decided that he would indeed find out what Potter and Dumbledore and probably even Professor Barnes were hiding. The bell rang and he made his way to his next class.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Well, that was chapter two! Please tell me what you think about it! (('-')) 


	3. Stolen Books

Sorry, this took me so long, lots of work.  
  
MusicalHermione: Thanks, again! I'm glad that you like it! Hope you enjoy part three!  
  
Disclaimer: Everything that seems familiar to you is J. K, Rowling's.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
It was not very difficult for Harry to keep his promise, because Ron and Hermione were pretty much preoccupied with themselves. They had got together in the beginning of sixth year and Harry had been very happy for them. The summer before had been the worst for all of them. Mrs Figg, their old DADA teacher had died and Arthur Weasley had lost his job. Ron and Hermione had had many fights and had been screaming at each other all the time. It was a relief for everyone that they had finally talked it out and told each other how they felt.  
  
After they became a couple Harry had felt lonely for a while. He had started spending more time with other housemates, especially with Ginny. Since Harry knew her she'd had a bit of a crush on him, but she seemed to have come off it. He had discovered that the youngest Weasley could be great company when she wasn't nervous.  
  
At the moment she was sitting beside him in the Gryffindor common room, together with the rest of the Quidditch team. Ginny had joined the team two years ago and played as chaser. Harry had become captain after Angelina Johnson had left the school. It was late in the afternoon and they were not allowed to practice Quidditch after dark. So they had decided to decide their tactics for the following match against Hufflepuff next week.  
  
Harry had a map of the Quidditch field in front of him, where small spots, each with the name of a player on it, where rapidly moving around. Jimmy Olsen, a third year who had just joined the team as beater bent over the map and frowned.  
  
'Err . . . I don't understand why I should follow that Hufflepuff chaser instead of the other. Didn't you say that he was no threat?'  
  
Harry rolled his eyes at him. He was undoubtedly a good beater, but that boy seemed to be a little thick. He tried to explain it anyway.  
  
'Listen. I don't know how . . .'  
  
He was cut of in mid-sentence when Ron and Hermione walked through the portrait hole talking rather loudly.  
  
'I can't believe it. Can you tell me how a book with over two thousand pages can disappear just like that?! I mean, things don't just disappear, do they?'  
  
Hermione gave Ron a frustrated look, who tried to look appalled, but failed miserably, because he couldn't hide a smile.  
  
'I don't know, either.', Ron replied calmly, still trying not to laugh. 'Someone might have stolen it, but, honestly, I can't imagine anyone being interested in such a boring . . .'  
  
Before he could finish Hermione cut him off.  
  
'It doesn't matter if it is boring! I need that book for my History essay!' As always none of them noticed that the whole Gryffindor common room was listening until Harry rose to his feet and came over to them.  
  
'What is it, Hermione? What are you crying about?'  
  
Hermione looked at him, then seemed to notice how loud she had been speaking and blushed slightly. Harry glanced around the common room silently telling everyone that they could stop gaping and after a moment the Gryffindors turned away paying attention to their own things.  
  
Ron, who obviously thought it was funny, told Harry that they had just been at the library checking for some books for their History essays and that Hermione had searched for a particular one and that Madam Pince hadn't had any idea what had happened with the book. Hermione was still fuming about it, but she calmed down a bit after a while.  
  
'You know, I needed to check on some things about Hogwarts in that book and it is the same issue. I don't know what's happened to Madam Pince. It isn't the first time that a book has disappeared in the past few weeks. An old issue of Hogwarts- A History has disappeared, too. And also another book about the founders, which I just wanted to check out two weeks ago.'  
  
Hermione looked even more depressed thinking about how much work she could have finished already if only Madam Pince had a better eye on the library. Ginny who had just come over hadn't heard the entire conversation.  
  
'There are books disappering?', she asked.  
  
'Yeah, especially old and boring ones.', Ron answered loosing interest in the matter.  
  
Ginny frowned. She was thinking about something and didn't say anything more. Ron got up from the chair he had flopped in and looked at them.  
  
'I know it is terrible that those books have gone lost, but it's dinner time and I'm starving.'  
  
Hermione nodded and got up, too. They went to the Portrait hole and Harry started to follow them when Ginny grabbed his arm and held him back.  
  
'Can we talk after dinner?'  
  
Harry blinked. What was it this time? She usually never got to the point when she wanted to talk to him in private. But he nodded when he saw her serious expression. There was always hope, wasn't there?  
  
'We can go to the Transfiguration classroom'  
  
Ginny smiled at him and they went off to the Great Hall.  
  
Draco was sitting at the Slytherin table, looking angry. It had been over a year now, since Professor Barnes pulled that joke on him. Why wouldn't at least the staff forget about it? Why did they have to take every opportunity to torture him?  
  
Today Draco had spent most of his afternoon in the library. He was still looking for information about Pensieves. Madam Pince had been in an exceptionally bad mood and had not been very helpful. She had kept on glancing at him suspiciously as if he would molest one of the books the moment she looked away.  
  
It was disgusting what some people seemed to think about him. How could anybody even believe the rumours? It had been a joke!  
  
Maybe he was just being paranoid. He was taking everything personally since sixth year. When someone looked at him longer that a second, or if someone tried to speak to him, he was always expecting the worst. That's why he was sitting all by himself in the far corner of the table eating quietly and observing the Great Hall.  
  
He saw Weasley and Granger coming through the doors followed by the other Weasley and Potter. While the former were talking animatedly the latter were quiet. Draco rolled his eyes. Why wouldn't Potter just tell her that he wasn't interested? Maybe he was . . .  
  
Draco regarded them as they sat down and began to eat. Ginny seemed to be thinking about something and Potter was taking part in the conversation of his best friends. After some minutes Ginny rose to her feet and said something looking serious. Harry stood up, too and nodded. They went quietly out of the Hall leaving the others looking at them questioningly.  
  
Without wasting any time Draco rose from the table and followed them. He hadn't found very much so far, concerning his promise to himself that he would not leave everything interesting to Potter. He still didn't know who that Snuffles guy was and to see Ginny and Harry leaving the Great Hall for some place that was definitely not the Gryffindor Tower promised to be interesting.  
  
He followed them soundlessly to the Transfiguration classroom. They looked around for a moment, then entered and closed the door quietly. Draco left his place behind a statue and approached the door. He pulled out his wand and after a quick spell could hear what they were saying.  
  
'I think that the disappearing of those books has something to do with the person who stole the Pensieve.', Ginny's voice said.  
  
'I don't know. I mean, why has the one got to do with the other? It could be coincidence.', Harry answered doubtfully.  
  
'No, it can't be. To me it looks as if someone tries to gather information about Hogwarts. Didn't you hear what Hermione said? Somebody steels books about Hogwarts.'  
  
'Yeah, but the books that disappeared were old. If someone wanted to find a way onto the school grounds or something he would take new books, wouldn't he?'  
  
'Maybe, he doesn't want to enter the school. It could be something else.'  
  
After that there was a moment of silence. Draco pushed his ear to the door as if he could then hear better. Then Ginny spoke again.  
  
'Harry, I'm no fool, you know. It wasn't just Malfoy who noticed that you know more about this whole thing, than you say. Why don't you tell me the truth? Have you so little trust in me? There are only three of us who even know that something strange is happening here. Maybe, we could do something about it. If only you would tell me!'  
  
Her tone was pleading. Draco heard Harry sigh before replying tiredly.  
  
'I can't, Gin. I don't know much and the few things I know won't help us. It would only bring you into danger if I told you.'  
  
'You still think I'm a little girl, don't you?' Ginny's voice sounded furious. 'But I'm not. I thought you knew me, but you still have no idea. If you're still too afraid to talk to anybody than I can't help you!'  
  
Harry tried to say something but Ginny didn't listen anymore. She slammed the door open and stalked away. She was so angry that she didn't notice the small thud behind the door as she nearly broke Draco's nose, when she pushed it open forcefully. Draco whimpered but repressed a cry and quickly went behind another statue as Potter quietly left the classroom and closed the door. He walked slowly down the hall his head slightly bowed.  
  
When he was finally out of sight Draco cursed under his breath. How could such a petite girl have such a strength? He rubbed his nose. But it was still worth it. What he had heard could prove to be very interesting.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
K, that was part 3. What do you think? I got the impression that the story is moving on a little too slowly. But it will get better. Please, tell me what you think!  
  
PS: Hope next part won't take me this long. Still one week to go till Holidays. . . 


	4. The Deal

MusicalHermione: Thank you! You will find out in a few chapters!  
  
Disclaimer: Everything you recognise belongs to J. K. Rowling.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Ginny Weasley was sitting in the library bending over a two feet long essay, quill in hand. She still had to write two more feet and she already didn't know what to add. Another reason to hate Potions. . . She let her quill fall onto the parchment where some blue ink sprayed on the carefully written words. She gave an exasperated sigh and banged her head against the table.  
  
Suddenly she heard someone snicker behind her and she looked up into Draco Malfoy's grey eyes. He had an amused expression on his face.  
  
'What is it, Malfoy?', she asked annoyed. Her mood was already bad enough, she didn't need a Malfoy on top.  
  
'You look as if you could need a hand.' Draco said warily, smiling a little.  
  
'Surely not from you, thank you very much. Would please leave, now?'  
  
Draco ignored her and sat down opposite her. He eyed the parchment with the ink spots on it. When he looked up again, he looked mildly surprised.  
  
'Is that Potions? What is so difficult about that?'  
  
Ginny stared at him. Was he pulling her leg? Since when tried Malfoy to be nice? His expression was nearly friendly. She still snapped at him.  
  
'Well, there are people who actually have to work for their grades! I bet Professor Snape doesn't give you homework at all. And if he'd do you can always run to your daddy and complain!'  
  
Draco's eyes became icy for a moment. His cheeks flushed slightly. He opened his mouth to say something but then he thought better of it and closed it again. He sighed and leaned back in his chair.  
  
'Why do you always have to take everything personally? I only wanted to help you. Really.'  
  
Ginny narrowed her eyes at him.  
  
'You want me to believe that you just came in and saw me sitting here and thought "oh, there's Weasley. I should go and help her!", right?', she said sarcastically.  
  
Draco rolled his eyes. 'And if it were so? But you're right. I came here because I wanted to talk to you.'  
  
'And what about?'  
  
'About the things that are happening lately. You know what I mean. I noticed that Potter keeps certain things to himself and I wanted to ask you if he told you anything.'  
  
'This isn't your concern. Why should I tell you anything?'  
  
'Because I'm involved. I don't like to be left out. Besides, I got the impression that you are being left out, too.'  
  
Ginny glared at him. Of course he was right. But she didn't want to admit it. Draco didn't wait for her to reply.  
  
'It seems to me that Potter is always in when something happens. And since he isn't allowed to talk to Weasley and Granger, it isn't fair that he keeps all to himself.'  
  
'And what would you suggest?'  
  
'We could corner him and beat it out of him. Or we could try and find out by ourselves. Wouldn't you like to prove that you are not a little girl anymore?'  
  
Ginny still eyed him suspiciously. Was that a trick? On the one hand she wanted nothing more than to prove to Harry that she was not a baby. If she'd find the source of those strange things, Harry would surely be very proud of her. On the other hand, this was Malfoy.  
  
Draco seemed to sense her hesitance, because he gave her a reassuring glance and leaned forward to speak quietly.  
  
'You know, I have no intention to hurt you. I may not be the most trustworthy person on earth but you have to admit that I have changed.'  
  
Had he? Now that Ginny thought about it, he had become rather quiet since . . . And hadn't she heard rumours that his father had disowned him? That look on his face was very un-malfoy-like.  
  
'But you still want to beat Harry. You're jealous, because he knows more.'  
  
Draco replied calmly: 'I'm not jealous, it just makes me angry. We were both there and we are the only ones who know about this and he wants to keep everything to himself. Listen, I don't want you to completely trust me. I just say that we could actually gain something if we worked together. It's like a deal.  
  
Ginny thought for a minute. What had she got to loose? After a moment she nodded.  
  
'So, where should we start?'  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Sorry! I know it is too short, but I wanted to get it out of the way! Next chapter will come out soon, I hope. 


	5. Premonition

MusicalHermione: I hope this comes up to your expectations. Thanks again for reviewing!  
  
Disclaimer: The Harry Potter series belong to J. K. Rowling. The characters you don't recognize and the plot belong to me.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Five years old Laurie Diggs stood at the foot of the tree and was looking up into the branches, an angry expression on her face.  
  
'Aidan! Come down here, now and give it back!' She stomped her foot on the cold ground. Why did he always have to tease her?  
  
Aidan Diggs, who was three years older than his sister looked down and laughed. 'Why, come up and take it!'  
  
'You know that I'm too small to climb the tree! Give it back or I'll tell mum!'  
  
Aidan grinned mischievously. 'I think I'm going to leave Teddy up here. He seems to like it better than sitting all the time on your bed.' He turned a little so Laurie could see him more clearly from where she stood and put the bear on one of the high branches. He had to stretch to reach it and suddenly he lost his balance and fell off his place. He tried to hold on to something but his hands slid away.  
  
He heard his sister's scream and closed his eyes tightly, expecting to fall hard on the ground, but his fall was stopped by something soft an warm and after a moment he opened his eyes to find himself in the embrace of a man, his grey eyes looking down on him.  
  
'Are you alright?' The voice sounded concerned. The man bent down and put Aidan back onto the ground.  
  
Aidan, still shocked, stared at the man and nodded. He glanced at his sister who come up beside him. She too looked rather stunned. Suddenly he noticed a gigantic black dog behind the man looking at them curiously. But the man spoke again.  
  
'What are your names?' After they answered he continued.  
  
'Now Aidan, what were you doing so high on that tree?' He had a slightly accusing tone and had a stern expression on his face.  
  
'He put Teddy high into the tree, so I can't reach him! He said that Teddy doesn't like being in my bed!' Laurie didn't know the man but she wanted to make sure he knew how mean her brother was. She had already forgotten that Aidan had nearly fallen onto the ground.  
  
Aidan had forgotten it, too. He didn't want the stranger to get the wrong impression of him. 'Stop whining and don't be such a baby! You can't always sleep with a bear in you bed!'  
  
The stranger looked amused for a moment but the stern expression returned immediately.  
  
'It is not nice to tease your sister. And it was very foolish of you to climb so high. Next time you must be more careful. You were lucky this time because I was there to catch you when you fell. But next time maybe you won't.' His expression softened a little.  
  
'Besides, there it nothing bad with sleeping with a bear. Look at Snuffles! He keeps me company all the time!' He pointed at the big shaggy dog, who let out a bark and trotted past them to the tree. After a moment he returned with Teddy in his mouth. He looked very pleased with himself. Laurie beamed at him and took the brown bear. She squeezed it tightly, then she stroked the dog behind his ears.  
  
Aidan was looking down at his feet, ashamed and angry because his sister was right. He looked up when he felt a hand on his shoulder. The man was smiling at him.  
  
'Don't be angry. Just be careful next time, will you?' Aidan nodded.  
  
'Alright then, would you like to stroke Snuffles a little? No need to be frightened. He is very big but tame as a kitten and he loves children.' Aidan hesitated, then took a step forward and joined his sister, who was giggling happily, because Snuffles was licking her hand. The dog seemed happy, too, and was enjoining himself. After a while the man cleared his throat.  
  
'I'm afraid we must leave you now. Come here, Snuffles.' The dog walked up beside him after letting the two children stroke him one last time. At the sight of their disappointed faces the man turned around and pulled something out of his coat. When he faced them again, he was holding a bunch of sweets in his hands.  
  
'Promise me to brush your teeth after eating them, okay? And don't eat them all at once or you'll be sick.' Aidan and Laurie promised and beamed at him when he gave them the sweets.  
  
'Bye, Laurie. Take care of Teddy. Bye Aidan and don't tease your sister so much!' The stranger winked at them and walked away, the big black dog beside him.  
  
The two children stared after them and then looked down at their sweets.  
  
'Have you ever seen anything like this?' Laurie asked.  
  
'No, but I think you got more!' Aidan answered and after a moment a new fight started.  
  
Their voices where audible for a long time as the man and the dog continued their way north.  
  
~*~*~  
  
'What IS with Malfoy that Ginny is suddenly with him all the time?!', Ron asked for the millionth time in the past few weeks. He still couldn't quite believe that his little sister - a Weasley - would befriend a Malfoy.  
  
Neither could Harry and that's what bothered him. Ginny hadn't really talked to him since their row. Of course she greeted him when they met or did some small talk, but that was all. And suddenly there was Malfoy. Harry knew that the Slytherin had changed. After the incident with Professor Barnes he had lost his popularity and become a loner.  
  
For Harry it was clear, that most people knew that it had been a joke, but it seemed that everybody, even the Slytherins, had seen it as an excuse to turn their backs on him. Especially after his father had disowned Draco and he had lost the power the name "Malfoy" had given him.  
  
Sometimes Harry felt pity for him, but that didn't mean that he liked him. And now that he was so often around Ginny his feelings for him hadn't become better. Malfoy was up to something and Ginny's part in it was surely not good.  
  
But there were also other things that worried Harry. For example his godfather. Sirius hadn't written to him for weeks and Harry feared that something had happened to him. Every morning he dreaded the look into the Daily Prophet, expecting to read that Sirius Black, the convicted and escaped murderer, has received the Dementor's kiss.  
  
And then, there were of course the strange things that happened here, at Hogwarts. Last week Madam Pince had made an inspection in the library and it seemed that the books had ceased to vanish. Some tomes that had gone missing had even reappeared. But there was still no explanation. The things that Harry had found out in the past months didn't help either.  
  
The problem was, that he was not allowed to talk to anybody. He did understand that he was not allowed to tell Malfoy, but why would they forbid him to talk to Ron or Hermione. . . They would surely be able to figure out what all this meant.  
  
Harry had also thought of what Ginny had told him when they had their fight. Maybe she was right and he just didn't want to open up. Well, she knew anyway didn't she? She knew about the books and about the Pensieve. She just didn't know about . . .  
  
Harry shook his head firmly. Is was too dangerous to tell her. Especially now that she was being friends with Draco Malfoy. It was better having her angry at him than having her dead. He forced himself out of his reverie and finally started eating, Ron sitting beside him, eyes locked on the Slytherin table where Ginny was still talking to Malfoy.  
  
Why did it bother him so much to see her with him? Was it because of him or because of her?  
  
~*~*~  
  
Ginny lay on her bed looking at curtains that separated her from the rest of the world, unable to sleep. It had been a long day. She had spend several hours in the library, for once not looking at old books about Hogwarts, but desperately trying to finish her Potions homework. By now she was sure that she would never in her life do anything that had to do with brewing potions or sorting ingredients.  
  
But spending time with Draco Malfoy had proved to be very useful and funny (which was rather unexpected). He was not half as bad as she had thought him to be. In fact she really enjoyed his company, even if it was only to look at dusty books.  
  
At first she had felt awkward around him, but slowly she discovered that he had (!) a sense of humour and that he had (!) changed, indeed. She hadn't noticed before that he had ceased making nasty jokes about her family, but now that she knew him things were being easier.  
  
She wished they would be. The reason for her insomnia was not Draco Malfoy, but another boy his age. A boy with messy black hair and sparkling green eyes and a scar on his forehead, on whom she had a crush since she was ten and who happened to be the famous Harry Potter.  
  
After their fight she had been very angry and Malfoy had only strengthened her will to show him that she was not a little girl anymore. But deep down inside her she felt that she missed him. Well, talking to him. She still saw him every day, but there was something between them now.  
  
In the past days he had started looking at her strangely. Sometimes he had looked ready to say something to her, but every time he had suddenly closed up and retreated before either of them could actually say anything. She had also noticed that he sat by himself most of the time. He looked tired and worried, as if waiting for something to happen.  
  
More than once Ginny had mentally slapped herself for thinking about him so much, but she couldn't help it. She wanted to corner him somewhere. To make him spill it all out. She wanted to help him so much.  
  
She turned around and forced herself to empty her head. She had to sleep. Tomorrow she could ask Draco about it. Maybe he could help her.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Ok, what do you think? I know, there didn't happen very much in this chapter, but I promise that things are just starting to get interesting. I put some hints in this to where this story is headed, but there may be some twists (in the end it will still be H/G; D/G seems odd to me and H/D is too difficult for me because I'm a terrible slash-writer).  
  
Anyway, I will start chapter 6 soon, but I will be in Berlin for a few days, so I don't know when I will be able to finish it! 


	6. Snuffles

MusicalHermione: Thank you again! Without you I think I might have stopped already.  
  
Berlin was fantastic. It is such a beautiful city and it was good to relax a few days. Sorry this chapter took so long, anyway.  
  
Disclaimer: All characters you recognise belong to the great J. K. Rowling.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
The next morning Ginny and Draco sat at their tables for breakfast. They had decided to meet in the Entrance Hall later, to walk to Hogsmeade together, since it was Saturday and they were allowed to town. It was a little unusual but both enjoyed each others company.  
  
Except for that, Ginny was still furious about Ron for making such a fuss because of Draco and took every opportunity to annoy him. And Draco, well, since most people still hated him he didn't have much of a choice. Besides, he didn't have much of a reputation to loose for being friends with a Weasley. In fact, Draco was surprised at how much he liked Ginny. He didn't love her or something, but he still thought that Potter had to be rather dump not to take her.  
  
The chatter in the Great Hall was interrupted by a hundred owls delivering mail. Both Ginny and Draco noticed that a large brown owl dropped a letter in front of Harry, who was sitting a little away from Ron and Hermione. He seemed a little surprised but as he enfolded the parchment his expression sobered and he glanced around as if checking if anybody was watching him. Draco and Ginny looked away immediately pretending not to have seen anything. Harry's eyes fell on Ron and Hermione who were engaged in an animated discussion of their plans for the day and didn't seem to have noticed anything. Harry quickly put the letter into his robe and rose from the table mumbling something to Rom and Hermione who nodded.  
  
As he left, Draco and Ginny looked at each other and had the same thoughts: They would follow him. It was obvious that the letter contained something important. And it was also clear that it had something to do with the strange events at Hogwarts.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Harry wasn't sure if he should feel relieved or worried. Of course his godfather was at great risk for coming back, but Harry hadn't seen him in over a year and he wanted to talk to him about everything that had happened the past weeks. Sirius still wrote him but the letters had become fewer, since he worked against Voldemort. He was in foreign countries most of the time and of course he was still on the run.  
  
Harry wondered what had happened with Ron and Hermione. Usually they panicked every time he didn't look totally happy, worried that he was about to die or something. Lately they had begun to pretty much ignore him. Of course, he knew that they were a couple and liked to have some time alone, but it was still odd that they didn't even take note of the letter he got from Sirius this morning. Neither did they ask why he wanted to go alone to Hogsmeade.  
  
But of course the strangest thing was, that Sirius had actually asked him to come alone. Why was everybody secretive lately?  
  
Sirius had told him in his letter that Professor Lupin was with him. They had rent a small cottage a little outside Hogmeade. They had decided to meet there.  
  
As Harry walked down the main street he had a feeling that he was being watched. He looked around but couldn't see anything suspicious, so he shrugged it of and told himself that it was just nervousness.  
  
When he finally arrived at the small cottage with the tiny front garden, he noticed immediately the huge black dog who started wiggling his tale at the sight of him. Harry laughed and winked at him.  
  
'Hello, Snuffles!'  
  
The dog opened the garden door and jumped at Harry knocking him off his feet and licking his face all over. At some point someone behind them cleared his throat. Snuffles looked up and released the boy beneath him, who sat up, panting from all the laughter, looking up at his former teacher. The last time he had seen Remus Lupin was in the beginning of his fifth year when the Order of the Phoenix had gathered the last time.  
  
The man hadn't changed much, but he seemed a lot healthier, Harry noticed, and his smile was bright and happy.  
  
'Hello, professor. Nice to see you again.'  
  
'Hello Harry. Nice to see you, too. You have grown quite a bit, I see. How have you been?', he asked as he held out his hand to help Harry stand up.  
  
'Just fine, thank you. And I take it, that Snuffles has been fine, too.' He grinned down at the dog and patted his head. Snuffles barked happily and tapped back through the garden door.  
  
'Come on, Harry. Lets get inside. It's chilly out here.' With that Remus lead him into the house.  
  
None of them noticed the two figures who were hidden behind a tree.  
  
~*~*~  
  
'Snuffles is a dog?! Are they joking?!' Draco had great difficulties to believe what he just witnessed. Ginny on the other hand seemed amused.  
  
'Well, it must be some code name for someone else, don't you think? But why is Professor Lupin here? Did he write that letter to Harry? Hey, Draco. . .I think they are closing the curtains at the windows! What are they doing in there?'  
  
Without wasting any time she left their hiding place and tiptoed to the house. Draco followed her slowly.  
  
'Maybe they have an affair or something. Didn't you notice how distracted Potter is all the time. Maybe that letter was a love letter.' He tried to keep the mirth out of his voice, but failed.  
  
Ginny gave him a look and rolled her eyes. 'Very funny. . . Could you now please help me find a way to see what they are doing?'  
  
Draco winked her to the door of the cottage and lay his head on the floor as if trying to peek through the slit under the door. He pulled out his wand and muttered a spell he had often used with his fellows when they had spied on the girls.  
  
Ginny kneeled beside him and they could both see the hole living room now. Lupin just put a silencing charm on the room (that unfortunately also worked through Draco's spell), than looked down at the dog and said something.  
  
The next moment the dog was replaced by a tall man. Ginny and Draco both let out a gasp as they realised that it was Sirius Black. Harry though didn't look surprised at all. He actually gave the escaped murderer a hug! Then the three of them sat down as Lupin conjured three cups of tea.  
  
Draco and Ginny rose from the floor and quickly walked away from the house. They sat down behind a tree and stared at each other in disbelief.  
  
'What is Black now doing here?! Has suddenly everybody gone crazy?' Draco let out a frustrated sigh.  
  
'I have no idea, but I can't believe that Harry and Professor Lupin have anything to do with him. I mean he is dangerous!' Ginny was equally confused.  
  
'And it is not just that. Black betrayed Potter's parents to Voldemort. Why should Potter now hug him?'  
  
'He betrayed Harry's parents? How do you know?'  
  
'My father once told me about it. Black and James Potter were best friends or something. Lupin was his friend, too.'  
  
'Oh my god! They probably made Harry believe that they didn't do it! He is in danger! We should call the ministry!' Ginny got up but before she could move away Draco grabbed her arm and pulled her back down.  
  
'Relax! We shouldn't do anything before we haven't sorted some things out, don't you think? I mean, Potter didn't exactly look frightened in there, did he? And if he really believes that Black is innocent, they won't just kill him. I say we wait for a while and see if he come out again. And then we can corner him and make him spill everything out, right?'  
  
Ginny nodded and so they sat down in silence and waited.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Two hours later Harry and the big black dog came out of the cottage. The dog immediately sensed the foreign sent that lay behind the door. He sniffed around and suddenly started running. He stopped at a tree and barked. Harry raised an eyebrow at him and went to see what there was. Behind the tree sat Ginny Weasley and Draco Malfoy looking partly scared and partly embarrassed.  
  
Harry stared down at them.  
  
'What are you doing here?'  
  
He already knew that the answer wouldn't please him. Snuffles nudged him and pointed at the house, telling him that it was better to get them into the house.  
  
Harry told them to follow him and Draco and Ginny complied without hesitation, a little afraid of what might happen to them if they didn't. As they entered the house they glanced at each other and stood closer together not knowing what to say. Professor Lupin came down the stairs as he heard them and seemed surprised.  
  
'Ginny, Mr. Malfoy, what are you doing here?' he asked as he came nearer.  
  
'It seems that they spied. How much did you see?' Harry asked them with a somewhat stony glare, as if he had expected better of them, or at least of Ginny.  
  
Ginny flinched a little but then she remembered what they had seen and felt her anger rise.  
  
'I saw that dog transform into Sirius Black! Are you mad Harry?! He is a convicted murderer! And you Professor Lupin! How could you? What did you tell Harry? Damn it. I should have called the ministry right away!'  
  
She stomped her foot on the floor and took a deep breath to calm down. It wasn't usual that she lost her temper but she was furious. And disappointed, because Harry hadn't told anybody. This wasn't just some secret. Black had killed people! And seeing Harry with him made him look like a criminal, too.  
  
Draco put a hand on her shoulder and said: 'Hey, easy! Let's listen first before we start yelling, don't you think so, too, Potter?'  
  
Harry, who had stared at Ginny, gave Draco a look that one could nearly call grateful. He nodded, then sighed. Remus beside him was totally calm, his expression curious. The dog who had stayed still beside them, suddenly made a move and came back into his human form. Both Ginny and Draco started a bit.  
  
Sirius Black was still recognisable, but now that they were near him, Ginny could see that he had changed. He wasn't so skinny anymore and his hair was short. What impressed her the most was his expression, though. He didn't look murderous. He looked . . . well, more civilised, even friendly. As they stared at him a small smile played at the corners of his mouth and Ginny thought that he must have been very handsome when he was young.  
  
'A Weasley and a Malfoy, together! I didn't think I'd ever see that!' His voice was soft but a little hoarse and his eyes were twinkling. He was the only one who looked amused by the situation.  
  
'I really think we should do some explaining, Sirius. It would be best if you sat down for this. It might take a while.' Lupin said, jerking his head in the direction of the sofa.  
  
They sat down and Remus asked if anybody wanted tea. The others shook their heads, but Draco wanted some tea and something to eat, since he had been sitting in the cold for hours. Remus conjured everything and so they sat for a few minutes in silence watching Draco eat some biscuits and sip at his tea. Unlike Ginny he didn't seem to bother with discomfort. That was probably a remnant of his time as "something better".  
  
After a while Harry spoke.  
  
'Ok, first of all, both of you must swear to keep silent about this. Nobody must know.'  
  
Draco looked up. 'And if we don't want to?', he said.  
  
'Then we'll have to obliviate you.' Sirius said calmly. Draco looked at him for a moment, then nodded.  
  
'Ok, I swear that I will tell nobody.' Ginny, who sat beside him, nodded, but said nothing.  
  
Harry relaxed a bit. He knew that the easy start didn't mean that they would believe him. Ginny still didn't look at him.  
  
'Umm, well, you should know that Sirius here is innocent.' At this both Ginny and Draco started to interrupt but were silenced be Remus, who held up a hand motioning them to wait until he was finished.  
  
'Because Peter Pettigrew is alive . . . and it was him who killed all those people . . .and . . .'  
  
This time though, Ginny interrupted anyway. 'Who is Peter Pettigrew? Harry, can't you speak a little clearer?' She looked as if she wanted to believe him, if only for the fact that he was Harry.  
  
Harry sighed again, then shook his head. I can't do this. Can anyone of you tell them?' He addressed the two men in the armchairs at either side of his.  
  
Remus nodded and started again. His voice was slow and calm and they let him talk. Only a few times someone added something or asked about details. When he was finished Ginny was feeling dizzy. So much information in such a short time was difficult to understand.  
  
'So you are working for Dumbledore, now? Fighting against Voldemort?' Draco addressed Black. The man nodded.  
  
'But I can't understand why they didn't realise that you hadn't done that. I mean, in that street, weren't there any signs of what really happened? Normally the ministry can easily recreate the situation and see if the things are right.' Ginny was confused. How could it be that the ministry of magic made such a terrible mistake?  
  
Sirius eyes darkened. His expression became hard. His voice, though, was very quiet.  
  
'They didn't wait this long. They spoke to the muggles that witnessed everything and they said that I was the one who killed all those people. The Crouch sent me right to Azkaban, without a trial. It didn't seem necessary to them to check if they had taken the right man.'  
  
'I have another question. What have you got to do with Barnes?' Draco looked curious. Harry nodded in agreement.  
  
'Yeah, Sirius. I also wanted to ask you about this. I told you about the pensieve, and there she mentioned you. Professor Barnes, I mean.'  
  
'Helen. . .' He murmured. Suddenly his expression got distant. He seemed deep in thought as if remembering something long forgotten. When Harry cleared his throat he came back to reality.  
  
'Helen was, well, you said she mentioned me?'  
  
Harry replied: 'Yes, she asked where you were and Dumbledore said something about her wanting to see you, of course. So, How comes she knows about you?'  
  
'She is a member of the Order. Dumbledore must have told her. I haven't seen her since. . . for sixteen years. We were together in school. She was in our year.'  
  
'You mean, you were friends?' Harry asked. Ginny gave him a sideways look.  
  
'No, not exactly friends. . . you can't really say that. . .' Sirius' voice trailed of and Remus let out a chuckle. Harry nodded.  
  
'Yeah, I couldn't imagine you befriending a Slytherin, anyway. I mean, she gets along with Snape.'  
  
Remus chuckled again as Sirius gave his godson a strange look.  
  
'No, I didn't mean that. I said we were not friends, because we were . . . together.', he finished, his expression apologetic.  
  
Draco nearly choked on his tea. Ginny tried to hide a smile and Harry just stared at him, blushing furiously as he imagined his godfather and Professor Barnes doing, well, things. . .  
  
By now Remus was laughing quite hard. 'Those were the same looks everybody else wore as the got together!', he gasped between fits of laughter. Sirius grinned at him and the fun loving careless boys they had once been showed up for a moment.  
  
After the first shock Harry became very curious. He wanted to know more about those two, but at this moment the old muggle clock above the fireplace gave a sound telling them that it was five o'clock.  
  
'Oh! So late already! You have to get back to the castle!' Remus was up immediately. Sirius rolled his eyes at him.  
  
'Why such a hurry, Moony? They won't kill them if the come a little later.', he said.  
  
'But people will worry and ask questions, and that could get uncomfortable. Besides they have to get back to Hogwarts before dark.', Remus answered.  
  
The three students got up, looking a little disappointed. Sirius saw it a stood up, too.  
  
'Now, you three, listen. I think I will stay here for a while. You can come by next time you get to town, then I will tell you some stories about your teacher.'  
  
They nodded and Harry took a step forward to say goodbye to his godfather.  
  
'Take care Sirius, will you? See you around, then, sometime.' Sirius smiled at him and ruffled his hair a bit.  
  
'You take care, right? And send me an owl if anything happens. Or at least tell Dumbledore. Or Helen.' Again a smile brightened his features. Remus stood beside him and shook Harry's hand.  
  
'Bye, Harry. Don't worry too much. Bye, Ginny. Bye, Draco. It's good to see that you have changed your mind about a few things.' Remus winked at him.  
  
'Your secret is safe with us.' Ginny said as she shook both men's hands and earned friendly smiles.  
  
Before the door opened, Sirius turned back into the huge black dog and escorted them until the other side of town, where he barked one more time and then their ways parted.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Umm, before I started this I wanted to write a SB/OC story. But then I combined it with other ideas and so now this comes out. Hope you like it. In later chapters we will find out more about Helen and Sirius. 


	7. Signs

Jessy ;-): Thanks again! You like Sirius, too? He's one of my favourites (I like dark haired men *melt*). Don't worry, everything will come out by the end. But don't expect too much, it's nothing earth shattering. ^-^  
  
Disclaimer: All characters you recognise belong to the great J. K. Rowling.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
The large black dog disappeared down the road and Harry Potter stood still for a moment, a somewhat sad expression on his face. Ginny thought as she regarded him, that he must like the man very much.  
  
'You seem to care about each other very much.', she stated.  
  
Harry jumped at her voice and turned around to look at her. 'He is my godfather. And my guardian. He is the only real family I have left', he answered and looked again at the now deserted road.  
  
'So, Potter. Don't you think it's time for some further explanations?' Draco looked a little annoyed but curious.  
  
'What explanations?'  
  
'How about telling us why they have come here? The only thing we know at the moment is who Snuffles is. Finally. Now what about the real questions?'  
  
Harry hesitated. Then he started walking towards Hogwarts. Ginny and Draco followed him suit.  
  
'Please, Harry. Stop keeping everything to yourself! We already know about Sirius! You know that you can trust us. You have to trust us!' Ginny pleaded, her anger slowly rising again.  
  
'Tell us, or we will tell the ministry where Black is.' Draco said, smirking. His comment earned him a shocked expression from Harry and a pretty hard kick on the shin by Ginny, who glared at him and shook her head.  
  
'We surely won't do that! We have promised to keep silent and we will! But, Harry.' Her glare turned into a sympathetic look as she turned to Harry. 'We have a right to know. I've already told you that you can't always keep everything to yourself.' She was forcing her anger down. It wouldn't do to yell at him at the moment.  
  
Harry obviously considered her statement. After a moment he silently nodded and started walking again.  
  
'A while ago, at the beginning of the year, Snuffles sent me a letter, telling me, that Voldemort is probably planning something. At this point we only knew that he kept unusually quiet.', he started, his voice quiet. Draco and Ginny were listening to his every word.  
  
'After a while it became clear that he was trying to get into Hogwarts. Deatheaters were seen near the school grounds and rumours were spreading all across the country. But still no sign of Voldemort. It seems that since the ministry has gotten stronger over the past year, it is not so easy anymore to act. A lot of deatheaters were captured by aurors or the Order. Snuffles told me that Voldemort is trying to become more powerful.  
  
'Dumbledore seemed to have similar thoughts. Most of us didn't notice, but there has been an enforcement of the wards that keep Hogwarts safe. And the teachers have been observing us.'  
  
'Yeah, I noticed that, too. Especially the Slytherins.' Draco stated. Harry nodded.  
  
'It seems that they think that there are spies amongst the students, or something. To be honest, I had those thoughts, too. That was until the incident with Dumbledore's Pensieve happened. I just couldn't understand why he didn't want me to tell Ron and Hermione. It was obviously bad enough that you two knew about it. Oh, I don't think anybody told you, but the Pensieve was found. In a broom closet. A few days ago.'  
  
At this Ginny and Draco both stared at him. 'On which floor?', Draco asked after a moment. Ginny blinked at his question. Harry was also confused.  
  
'I don't know. Why?'  
  
'Well, if it was near our DADA classroom, maybe the person who took it put it there right after stealing it. Remember? We found that part of the Pensieve there. That would mean, that Dumbledore just shouldn't be able to look into it for a while or put new thoughts into it.' Draco shrugged. 'Or something like this.'  
  
Harry and Ginny stared at him in disbelief. Then Harry shook his head and continued.  
  
'Anyway, it appears that Sirius has been searching for information about Voldemort's plans abroad and that's why neither I nor Dumbledore were able to contact him. The memory we saw in the Pensieve was probably not very old. Finally, though, Sirius returned to England, with pretty important news. Swear to me that you won't talk about this to anybody.' His gaze was dead serious and both Draco and Ginny nodded solemnly.  
  
'Voldemort has found a way into Hogwarts. Through a student. If I understand this right, one of his followers taught his kid some kind of incantation. The kid spoke the incantation and somehow awoke a strange power inside the castle. We don't know jet what exactly was awoken nor do we know why, but we do know that this power, some kind of spirit I suppose, can't move like a ghost or something like this and has taken possession of a student.'  
  
He stopped and looked at his companions. Ginny had turned very pale. She looked frightened. Draco on the other hand was thoughtful. After a moment he spoke.  
  
'Do we know which student this concerns?'  
  
'No, it appears that this thing is pretty much invisible. It adapts the student's behaviour. That's at least what Sirius told me.'  
  
'So it could be anyone of us?' Ginny's voice was shaking. 'Is that why you are not allowed to tell Ron and Hermione? Because they could be obsessed?' Ginny looked as if she was about to cry.  
  
Harry watched as Draco took a step closer to her and put an arm across her shoulder. Somewhere deep down inside him Harry felt a stab of jealousy. He shook it off though, as Draco once again spoke.  
  
'It could even be me or Ginny, or you, then.' His eyes narrowed. Harry shook his head.  
  
'Professor Lupin said it can't take me, probably because of my connection to Voldemort. Neither can it be you.'  
  
'Why? How do you know?'  
  
'It can't leave the castle. So, it can't be you, because you are both outside.'  
  
'Does Dumbledore know about this?' Ginny had regained some composure but she still leaned on Malfoy.  
  
'Yes, Siri . . . ah . . . Snuffles told me that he paid them a visit yesterday at Lupin's house.'  
  
'What are we going to do now?' Draco asked.  
  
'Snuffles told me to look out for student's who are behaving strangely. Maybe there is a way to capture that thing. He said that he would find a way to get into the castle to help, without everybody wondering. He . . .' Harry stopped and stood still. They had arrived in front of the stairs that led up to the Entrance Hall. For a moment they looked at each other.  
  
'We should not talk about this inside the castle. We could be overheard. If anyone notices anything we will meet up somewhere outside to talk about it, ok?' Harry suggested.  
  
'Yes, but we should hurry now, before they start wondering where we are. We have probably missed out dinner.' Draco said. 'So bye, then.' He looked at Harry, smiled at Ginny and then walked quickly up the stairs, without waiting for them. Harry wanted to follow him but turned around when he noticed that Ginny hadn't moved. Her eyes very cast on the floor.  
  
'What is it, Ginny? You don't have to worry. Nothing can happen to you, I'm there.', he said reassuringly, not exactly sure what he meant with this.  
  
When she looked up her expression was unreadable.  
  
'Has your scar hurt, lately?' she asked with a plain voice.  
  
'Maybe a little, I can't remember exactly. Why?'  
  
'Because my nightmares have started again. I wanted to tell you weeks ago, but I never got the chance.'  
  
'Nightmares? What kind of nightmares?'  
  
'The kind of nightmares I had when the Chamber of Secrets was opened.'  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Wait. No, the chamber hasn't reopened. It is . . .well, just something else. This chapter was full of information, some questions were answered I think. Again, there was not much action, but it needs some explanation, first, before I can let anything happen. I'm afraid this story will be full of twists.^_^  
  
I'm working on next chapter, but school starts again this week and it will most likely take me longer to post from now on. But I'll try. 


	8. Having Suspicions

libra071988: Thank you! I'm glad you like it!  
  
Sorry it took me so long to post! I'm quite busy at the moment. . . Anyway, here's chapter 8!  
  
Disclaimer: All characters you recognise belong to the great J. K. Rowling.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Draco was thinking hard as he walked down the corridors to Slytherin. The things that Harry had said bothered him. He hadn't thought that any of the students would even notice that something was wrong. And now someone was even involved. Draco wondered who might be the kid that had spoken that incantation.  
  
Well, it was most likely a Slytherin, since most of their parents where followers of Voldemort. Could it be Crabbe or Goyle? Draco laughed at the thought. It would take a very, very long time to teach them a complicated spell. And they'd probably still mess it up. Maybe it was Blaise. The boy's parents were some of the most loyals of Voldemort's followers, after all.  
  
He could ask him. Or he would just threaten him. He could say that he would molest him, or something. As absurd as it sounded that actually might have worked. Blaise was not very . . . bright.  
  
That would have to wait until tomorrow, though. Draco wanted to change out of his wet and dirty clothes and quickly go to the kitchens to something to eat. And then he would just go to bed and sleep a little.  
  
~*~*~  
  
When Harry and Ginny entered the common room the other Gryffindors were chatting happily about the things they had done in Hogsmeade today. Harry spotted Ron in an armchair near the fire, playing chess with Seamus. When Ginny and Harry approached he looked up and grinned.  
  
'Where have you two been so long?', he asked in a teasing voice. Ginny blushed slightly and glared at him.  
  
'Where is Hermione?' she said a little louder than necessary.  
  
'Oh she's already gone to bed. She was tired.' Ron answered still an amused expression on his face. Harry returned his grin slyly.  
  
'What did you do in Hogsmeade, that was so tiring?' Seamus, who had his eyes upon the chess board looking frustrated answered for him.  
  
'Actually, the two of them didn't bother with leaving the castle at all. They stayed here, all alone.' He moved his pawn and motioned to Ron that it was his turn. Ron looked at the board for a moment then moved the queen.  
  
'Check.' He said indifferently. Seamus sighed exasperatedly and put his head into his hands. Ron looked up again and frowned as he saw the expressions of his best friend's and sister's face. They looked shocked and pale.  
  
'What is it? We were not completely alone. There very many other Gryffindors who stayed as well. It was cold outside.' He obviously misunderstood their looks.'  
  
Harry looked almost pained as he asked in a rather shaky voice: 'Why did you stay in the castle?'  
  
Ron just shrugged. Hermione said it was too cold and she didn't feel too well and since you wanted to go on your own . . . I didn't imagine you'd go with my sister, though. Why didn't you tell me?' His grin had returned, but neither Harry nor Ginny smiled back. They were looking at each other very seriously and didn't say anything.  
  
Then suddenly Harry spoke. I'm going to go to bed now, right. I'm tired.' He told them good-night and disappeared up the stairs to the boys' dorms. Ginny excused herself as well and climbed up the other staircase.  
  
Seamus gave Ron a confused look but Ron just shrugged. They had no idea what was so frightening about not leaving the school.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Harry lay down on his bed, still in shock. This just couldn't be true. He tried to tell himself that there must be another explanation why Hermione had refused to go to Hogsmeade, because Ron would take every opportunity to get out of school. But there wasn't any other explanation.  
  
Hermione was the student Sirius had talked about! But now that he thought about it, Hermione had been different lately. Harry had had the impression that she had been avoiding him. Ron had told him many times that Hermione wanted to have a little time to herself when she wasn't with them.  
  
But Ron had obviously noticed nothing. He appeared as always, but he too had kept a distance between himself and Harry. Maybe the spirit had manipulated him, too.  
  
But what did it mean to have that dangerous power in his second best friend's body? Were they in danger? It would probably be best to warn Ron. But first he would talk to Ginny, he decided. He shut the curtains and crawled under the covers. They had to be discreet, as long as they didn't know what powers that demon thing had. It could maybe hurt Hermione if it found out that they knew the truth. They had to work out a plan. And he had to contact Sirius very soon.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Ginny surely was worried to death by the thought that one of her best friends and her brothers girlfriend was obsessed. Why did it have to be her? Of course she had already thought of it, when Harry had told Draco and her about that spirit. She had been wondering why Dumbledore and Sirius wouldn't want Ron and Hermione to know about it. But she had never imagined that it could actually be one of them!  
  
On the other hand, Hermione had been behaving strangely he past few weeks. Ginny had noticed the first time, when Hermione had come down to the common room one morning, pale as death and unable to face anyone. She hadn't even stopped to greet Ginny. She had practically run out of the portrait hole. And she had not told Ginny were she had gone to.  
  
For a few days Hermione had avoided all of them, and then at some point she had started talking again, but mostly to Ron. Where her and Ginny had once talked about almost everything they had barely had a real talk in weeks. Ginny just hoped that Hermione was not in danger.  
  
At least they now didn't need to search anymore.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Draco's steps were quiet. He was not allowed to walk through the school at this time. But he was hungry and if he was careful nobody would notice him. As he approached the Defence Against The Dark Arts corridor, he remembered what Black had told them.  
  
He had been together with Professor Barnes!  
  
It was quite difficult to imagine her with him, even if his appearance had changed over the past years. Draco had never really thought about it, but since she had embarrassed him in front of the whole school and had destroyed his life he had developed some kind of crush for her.  
  
The way she had handled him had proved to him that she was not as dump as he had thought first. He knew that he should have hated her for what she did to him but in fact he had tried to show her that he was not just bad since all this happened. Every time he earned a smile from her he felt surprisingly proud of himself.  
  
And she had been together with Black. Would they come together again now that he was back? Was Draco jealous? Did he want to . . .  
  
His line of thought stopped suddenly, when he heard a strange noise from inside the DADA classroom. He stood still and listened. Someone was inside there and it didn't seem to be Barnes, because the noises sounded as if someone was searching for something. . .  
  
Suddenly everything went quiet. Draco listened carefully but couldn't hear anything. And then, suddenly the door opened. And after a moment Draco was standing face to face with Blaise Zabini.  
  
Blaise looked shocked, but after a moment he hissed: 'What are you doing here Malfoy?' He didn't wait for a response. He closed the door behind him and grabbed the bag that he was holding firmly. He walked up to Malfoy and said in a menacing voice: 'If you tell anybody you saw me in there, I swear I'll break your neck. Is that clear?' He gave Draco a hard shove than walked away quickly.  
  
Draco had stared at him since the boy came out of the classroom. Now he stared at his retreating back and still couldn't believe it. What had Blaise been doing in there? And since when had he become so confident? Usually the sight of Malfoy would have scared him, or at least intimidated him. There was only on explanation. That strange spirit thing must have taken him! He was the one they were looking for! But what would he do now? Potter and Ginny were probably already asleep. And there was no one else he could tell about it now. He just had to wait until next morning.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
What do you think? I'm still not sure if Blaise is a boy or a girl, but I just assumed it would be a boy. Who do you think is the demon? You'll probably find out next chapter.  
  
I'll try to get it out sooner! 


	9. The Demon

*hides in the bathroom, ashamed* I'm so sorry! I know this took me forever but I couldn't help it. Please forgive me!  
  
Anyway, hope you enjoy the next part, it's a little longer than usual.  
  
Disclaimer: All characters you recognise belong to the great J. K. Rowling.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
It was common knowledge that no secret could last at Hogwarts, even if nobody was supposed to know let alone to tell. It was really surprising that the rumours about demons taking over students hadn't spread jet. In fact until this morning people hadn't even noticed that anything was wrong.  
  
But who could possibly not notice Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley as they stormed into the Great Hall at seven o'clock in the morning, two minutes later joined by Draco Malfoy, exchanging a look and storming out of the Great Hall just as fast. They didn't seem to notice the students who were up for some inexplicable reason or other.  
  
But what a sight it was. Everybody knew that Draco was insane. It appeared that Harry and Ginny had joined him. It didn't take more than two hours for the craziest rumours to spread around and the three of them would have received odd looks from everywhere had they cared to notice.  
  
Well, they hadn't.  
  
~*~*~  
  
'How could this happen?!',  
  
Draco cried and sat heavily down on the grass. Ginny was already sitting next to him leaning at a tree and Harry was pacing nervously. The three of them had said what they had found out the previous evening and were now pretty confused.  
  
'I don't understand it, either. Everything seemed to fit perfectly.' Harry had a deep frown on his face.  
  
'Maybe it would be best if we just talked to them. Ron can help us with Hermione. Do you think you can make Blaise talk?', Ginny turned to Draco as she said the last. Her face was pale and she had dark circles under her eyes. She looked tired and worried.  
  
Draco nodded and Harry stopped pacing. He looked around, eyes focusing on the lake with its clear cold water. He had had this feeling for weeks now. Even before Draco had found the Pensieve. It had been there all the time but he had ignored it.  
  
His scar hadn't burnt. He hadn't had any nightmares featuring Voldemort. It had just been something uncomfortable . . . He remembered what Ginny had told him. That her nightmares had started again. That it was like when the Chamber of Secrets had opened. Now that he thought about it, he knew that it was true. Back then, he had also had that feeling of restlessness.  
  
The Chamber . . . Was it possible that it had been reopened? Had that spirit something to do with it?  
  
' . . . has to know. Don't you think so, too? Harry?'  
  
Ginny's voice pulled him out of his thoughts. He looked down at her but didn't really see her. He had an idea.  
  
'I think we should pay Myrtle a visit.'  
  
~*~*~  
  
No sound came from behind the door as Harry held his ear pressed against it. Usually there had to be some dramatically sobbing. Checking if nobody was watching, he opened the door and entered the dimly lit bathroom. Draco and Ginny followed him and looked around.  
  
'It's freezing in here', Ginny said and shivered, but not only from the cold. Something about the dusty room was spooky.  
  
'Myrtle?', Harry called out. No answer came. 'That's strange. She should be here.' He walked to the back of the room and glimpsed inside the last cabin. No one there. He turned around and his eyes fell onto the sink, where the entrance to the Chamber had been.  
  
'Well, if we can't ask her, we'll have to look ourselves. Stand aside.' Harry motioned them to step back and approached the copper tab with the small snake engraved in it. He didn't know if it would work, but he imagined again that the snake was moving and then spoke.  
  
'Open up.' It came out as a hiss.  
  
He took a step back himself and a moment later the entrance to the forbidden chamber was open. Draco looked slightly impressed, but Ginny looked confused.  
  
'Didn't they lock it after . . . everything was over?', she asked.  
  
'I thought so, too. That's why I'm not sure if it is a good thing that I was able to open it.', Harry answered and walked to the round hole. 'I'll go first.' He said and jumped. A few seconds later they could hear his voice from deep down.  
  
'Ok, come down. It's safe.'  
  
Draco bent down the dark hole, trying to see something. But it was completely dark. 'And you have already been there?' He turned a questioning look upon Ginny.  
  
She nodded. She seemed even paler than before, standing there, her eyes cast downward. 'Hey, what is it? Are you frightened of going down there again? You don't have to come, you can just go back to your common room.' It was one of those rare moments when Draco Malfoy showed genuine concern. Ron wouldn't have believed his eyes.  
  
But Ginny shook her head and waved his comment off. 'Now is not the time for fear. Besides, I want to know what's down there, too.' And with that she walked over to the hole and jumped.  
  
Draco stood there for a moment, wondering what he had gotten himself into and then followed her. He rushed down a slide or something and finally landed on the damp ground. Harry stood a few feet away looking down a deep tunnel and Ginny stood right beside him, rubbing her backside.  
  
'I had forgotten what it feels like to slide down here', she said with a grim smile. She was obviously trying to appear calm and undisturbed. It wasn't really convincing.  
  
Harry shot her a worried glance and stepped closer to her. 'Alright?', he asked quietly. Ginny gave him a small smile and straightened herself. She took a deep breath and walked ahead. The two boys followed her.  
  
The tunnel was still very dark and they used their wands to illuminate it a little. When they passed by the spot where a part of the tunnel had caved in Harry slowed down a little and remembered the first time he had come down here. He wondered briefly, where that gigantic snake skin had disappeared.  
  
When they finally reached the entrance, the first thing they saw was, that it was open. Ginny froze on the spot and when Harry came near her she grabbed his hand and held it tight. Harry squeezed it reassuringly and pulled her near him. None of them spoke as they entered. Draco let out a small whistle, quite impressed. As they neared the gigantic statue of Salazar Slytherin Ginny's grip on his arm became painful, but Harry didn't say anything. He could understand that she was frightened.  
  
Suddenly he noticed a small light at the foot of the statue. It seemed to come from a candle. And then he saw the books.  
  
The books that had been missing in the library were all here, stored in small piles on the floor. Someone had been reading them down here.  
  
'Look, the Pensieve.' Draco had walked a little farther and held now the small shell in which the white substance was still shimmering. Ginny let go of Harry's hand and took a look at the books. 'There are more here than were reported by Madam Pince', she remarked.  
  
'Some of them must be from the restricted section. I wonder what that spirit was searching in them', Harry said.  
  
Suddenly there was a dull sound. The three students held their breaths instantly and listened. There were footsteps. And the next moment they could make out the dim light of a wand coming from the entrance.  
  
Draco expected Blaise.  
  
Harry and Ginny expected Hermione.  
  
But the figure that approached them was someone else.  
  
It looked like a third year Ravenclaw. She had blonde hair, that curled loosely around her shoulders. She was clasping an old school bag in front of her. She looked a little frightened when she stood a few feet away from them. The other three had instinctively come closer to each other and were now watchfully eying the girl.  
  
'What are you doing here? What is this? I just wanted to go to the toilet and saw that large opening in the wall. Are you allowed to be here?' Her voice was light and she sounded like a typical Ravenclaw, asking thousands of questions in one breath.  
  
'The question is: Are you?' Draco didn't know the girl, but any other Ravenclaw would have run to a teacher at the sight of the hole. Besides, who would want to go into that bathroom?!  
  
Harry, too, didn't seem to believe the performance of the small girl. He stepped protectively in front of Ginny. The girl had noticed their attitude and her expression changed.  
  
Were a moment ago had been a beautiful innocent face, was now a grimace of something really, really mad. The blue eyes had turned a gleaming shade of red and the small mouth was twisted into a n insane grin.  
  
'Oh, I see. I can't fool you. But of course, you three are clever. I should have expected that.' The new voice was dark and menacing and Draco felt a shiver down his spine.  
  
'Who are you?' Harry asked, sounding braver then he felt. Those red eyes reminded him too much of Voldemort.  
  
'Right, I didn't introduce myself. My name is Igor. I live here since Hogwarts was founded. I was Salazar Slytherins servant. He raised me since I was a small child. He hid me from the others because I was ugly. He always said I was ugly.'  
  
Igor had started pacing around, seemingly absorbed by his thoughts and memories. Unable to think clearly, Harry Ginny and Draco listened to him.  
  
'Nobody knew about me. He used me for his experiments with dark magic or to take care of his basilisk. I lived inside that chamber and never saw daylight. One day I tried to get out of here, I wanted to see the world outside just once. But my Master found me and punished me. He took my body from me and cursed me. I became a demon. Unable to leave this place. Locked into the stone walls.  
  
'After that he left the school. But he left some things here as well. The Basilisk stayed here to free the school of all muggle borns when his heir would return to his place. And he left me to protect his power.  
  
'You see, everything inside here IS him. It was built by him. He put his magic into those walls. Nobody would ever be able to steel that power. Because I would protect it. To use the power I would have to be freed first. And now, the heir of Slytherin has returned and wants to take his heritage.  
  
'He was able to get me out of my prison, but things have changed since the days of my master. And this school is not the same. The wards around it that were built so long ago have been replaced by others, stronger ones. I have to destroy them, so that my new master can come and take his power.'  
  
Igor stopped pacing and looked at them. Sudden realisation cursed through Draco, as he stared at the girl that was a broken man.  
  
'That's why you stole all those books and the Pensieve!' He exclaimed.  
  
Igor nodded. 'Yes, that's why I did it. Dumbledore is the only one who knows how to break through them. But I couldn't take the information out of him. He is too strong. So I stole his Pensieve. But I couldn't find anything in there. So I looked up some of the old books. I was able to find out that the wards have been strengthened many times and that there are also wards around the Chamber that have to be broken.'  
  
Igor looked around the huge room for a moment a sad expression on the girls face. The red eyes, Harry noticed, kept losing and getting intensity as he spoke. Suddenly the red eyes were burning again and the evil grin spread again across his face.  
  
'You surely wonder why I tell you all this. . .well, I thought it would be a noble thing to do before I kill you. You know I can't risk having you reporting everything and taking away my last opportunity to get out of here. I hope you understand that.'  
  
Very slowly he drew his wand, his eyes glowing in the candle light. Harry and Draco pulled out their wands as well and readied themselves for the attack. But the spell that was cast first wasn't cast upon them. It was cast at Ginny.  
  
'Imperio!'  
  
Ginny's eyes lost their focus and almost immediately she cried: 'Expelliarmus!' Their wands flew into her hand before either of them could react. The next spell followed suit.  
  
'Stupefy!' It was cast upon Harry and he barely managed to jump to the side behind the overlarge foot of Slytherin. He knew that he had to find a way to stop this. But how should one do this without a wand. He heard Ginny's voice casting another spell, directed at Draco. Harry glimpsed around a toe and saw Draco running like a bunny around, trying to get near enough to her to get his wand back. Ginny had her back to him.  
  
Harry looked at Igor, who was struggling to keep control over Ginny, not paying attention to him. Within a second Harry had made up his mind and stepped out of his hideout. He jumped at Ginny's back and forced her hands down. Draco took the opportunity and grabbed their wands.  
  
Harry noticed, a little too late, that Ginny was much stronger under the Imperius curse, for she grabbed his arm and threw him against the stony robe of Slytherin between his feet, before she launched herself at Draco trying to get the wands back, or maybe to scratch his eyes out.  
  
The wall Harry crushed in, however didn't seem to be made of stone, because it gave in under the force of his body. Harry blinked as he landed on the floor and saw the small creek in the wall. A hidden door! He speared a look at his surroundings, realizing that he had to act fast, if he didn't want Draco chopped to pieces (who would have thought that he'd ever NOT want that!).  
  
Igor was preoccupied, so Harry could open the door far enough so that they could go through it and then he went to rescue Draco (another thing he had never before thought about). He took Ginny around the waist and yelled at Draco to hurry up and get to the door.  
  
While Harry struggled with a completely mad Ginny, Draco cast a quick spell at Igor, which would take him out for only a few seconds, because Draco was to exhausted for anything strong. It was still long enough to calm Ginny down and get out. Just as they closed the door behind them they heard him moving again. Ginny was dizzy from the spell but she held onto Harry as they started running as fast as they could.  
  
The passage they were running through went slightly upwards, but they didn't want Igor to catch them, so they paid no attention to it. They could already hear his footsteps behind them but suddenly they vanished.  
  
The three of them slowed down a little, didn't stop, though. They continued until they saw the end of the passage. Above them was a trapdoor. With their last amount of power they managed to open it and climbed out.  
  
Just as they wanted to give a sigh of relief, they noticed the trees around them thin rays of sunlight were shining through the thick cover of leaves above them. Draco gulped.  
  
'We are in the Forbidden Forest', he said.  
  
'And rather deep inside it', added Harry, as he pointed at the pair of eyes that were looking at them through the bushes.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Ok, so that was chappie nine. What do you think? Please tell me. 


	10. old acquaintances

Disclaimer: All characters you recognise belong to the great J. K. Rowling.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
A broad smile spread across Helen Barnes' face as she entered the office. She should have looked worried but she couldn't help the sudden happiness at the sight of her very dear friend whom she hadn't seen for such a long time.  
  
Remus Lupin had pretty much the same expression on his face, only that his was also mingled with a great amount of surprise. Of course he knew that Helen taught DADA at Hogwarts and he had expected to meet her, but what surprised him was her appearance. Last time they met, her face had been covered with faint scars and her hair had been short.  
  
Now it fell down her back in long waves, curly and shiny and her face was clear of any remainder of her nasty encounter with the Death Eaters so many years ago. Her smile was bright and she was beaming at him before walking over to him and crushing him into a bonecrushing hug, which he returned just as forcefully.  
  
By the time they let go, both were laughing. They pulled away a little and studied each other for a moment.  
  
'Helen, you look great!' Remus said. Helen smiled at him and cocked an eyebrow.  
  
'You don't look so bad, yourself. I've seen a lot worse than that, considering the full moon was three days ago. How have you . . .' She suddenly stopped and looked at the armchair to the left.  
  
The big black dog had just come up from behind it and was now staring at her. As Helen stared back, everything else seemed forgotten. For a few moments nothing moved. Then, with a sudden 'pop' Sirius transformed.  
  
Again, they just stood there, looking at each other, their expressions full of disbelief and something else.  
  
They were pulled out of their moment by Dumbledore who came into the room, closely followed by Snape.  
  
'Ah, I see you have already exchanged greetings. We have much to discuss. Would you please sit down? I will explain everything to you.' Dumbledore pretended not to notice Helen's slightly wet eyes and Snape's look of annoyance as he gave all of them a curt nod.  
  
They sat down in the armchairs around Dumbledore's desk and tried to concentrate on the task at hand. Which was not very difficult considering the inexplicable disappearance of three students. Today was Monday and Ginny Weasley, Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter had not attended classes. In fact, nobody had seen any of them since yesterday morning.  
  
'Have you looked at the Marauder's Map?', Helen asked, after Dumbledore finished his explanation. A few weeks ago Harry had sent the Map to Sirius, because they thought it wasn't safe to keep it in the castle.  
  
'Yes, but they were nowhere to be found.', Remus answered and pulled the old parchment out of his robe.  
  
'Could they have been concealed, or something? I mean, is there a way to fool the Map?', Helen said, looking at Sirius and Remus.  
  
Sirius looked at her for a moment, then shook his head.  
  
'Not that I know of. Even under an invisibility cloak you can be spotted on the Map.'  
  
'So that means, that they must have left the grounds, right?', Snape spoke for the first time.  
  
'Or they are in a part of the castle that isn't registered on the Map.', Dumbledore muttered, thoughtfully.  
  
They others gave him puzzled looks.  
  
'There is no place . . .', Sirius started, but was interrupted by a noise from Snape. His eyes shifted to him questioningly.  
  
'You're talking about the Chamber of Secrets, aren't you?', Snape said, understanding dawning in his eyes.  
  
There was a moment of silence, then Sirius stood up abruptly, ready to go. 'So, let's go check there!', he said determined. Just as he headed for the door, Snape snorted loudly.  
  
'You don't even know where the entrance is, Black!' Sirius stopped in his tracks and glared at the Potions Master.  
  
Helen sensed trouble and interfered quickly. 'But I do. Let's go. Is it alright with you, Professor?', she turned to the Headmaster. Dumbledore still looked thoughtful but he nodded quietly.  
  
'Severus, Remus, could you please stay one more minute?', he said after a moment.  
  
The two men remained seated as Helen and Sirius quickly left the office. Dumbledore's expression was indeed very sober. Snape spoke first.  
  
'You think this might have something to do with Slytherin, don't you?'  
  
'Yes, I do. I hadn't considered it, until Harry and the others disappeared. Remus, you said that Harry, Draco and Ginny know, maybe they came to the conclusion, as well, only by another way. Ginny can sense the dark magic of the Chamber since her encounter with Voldemort. And Draco might have heard something from his classmates.'  
  
'But Slytherin is dead. They can't have awakened him as a demon.' Remus whispered. He didn't know the details about what had happened to Salazar, but he knew enough to be sure that he was truly and completely dead. As Dumbledore spoke his voice was very quiet, his eyes focused on something that none of the others could see.  
  
'That's true. But there are still some secrets that have never been revealed. There were those rumours about the Chamber of Secrets. The truth about the Basilisk was discovered just a few years ago.  
  
But some people said that Slytherin used the Chamber for his experiments with dark magic. And that he locked a part of his Power inside it, when he left Hogwarts. To secure that his heir would be just as powerful as he was.  
  
'At the time the founders still taught at Hogwarts, it was said that another creature was hidden inside the Chamber. One time it escaped and Godric Gryffindor saw it. It must have been something terrible, because after he spoke to Slytherin about it, the other wizard left Hogwarts forever.  
  
Some said that he left that creature to guard his power until the heir arrived and freed it.'  
  
'Could this creature be our demon?' Remus tried to catch up with the headmaster.  
  
'It might.', Dumbledore answered.  
  
'But why should it steel all those books and your Pensieve?', Snape asked.  
  
'I believe, that it is trying to break the wards around the school, to allow Voldemort access to the school and especially the Chamber.'  
  
Snape's eyes widened for a moment, then narrowed suspiciously.  
  
'Did you come up with all this just now?'  
  
'As surprising as it might sound, I did. I have been thinking about this for a while, but I completely missed this aspect. Just now everything seems to fit perfectly, don't you think?'  
  
Remus looked at the old professor in awe, and then asked:  
  
'By the way, why did you send Sirius and Helen ahead? They should have heard this, too.'  
  
'Ah, well', suddenly the twinkle in Dumbledore's eyes appeared again. 'To be honest, I just wanted to give them a bit of privacy.'  
  
~*~*~  
  
Helen and the large black dog strode quickly down the corridors. Classes were over and most of the students were in the common rooms. So it was considerably safe for Helen to speak.  
  
'You know, I still remember, when we were students, you used to get excited every time someone mentioned the Chamber. You always wanted to be the first to discover it. Severus told me how Harry, Ron and Hermione discovered it in the end. You'll never believe where the entrance is!'  
  
She only talked, because she didn't trust herself to walk quietly beside that grim, who had once been her boyfriend. She feared that she might burst into tears.  
  
When they arrived at the girls' bathroom she quickly opened the door, let the dog in, followed it and locked the door with a spell. Sirius immediately transformed.  
  
'In a bathroom?! Here is the entrance of the Chamber of Secrets?!' He looked at her as if she was insane.  
  
Again Helen tried hard not to cry. He looked so much more like his old self than she had expected. She closed her eyes to calm herself and then nodded stubbornly.  
  
'Exactly. Wait a minute, I'll show you' She moved to the sinks, and started to examine them. What had Severus said?  
  
Sirius watched her closely, and his expression changed. For a moment he forgot about the present, as a flood of memories washed over him. So much had happened since then. He cleared his throat, but he still sounded hoarse as he spoke.  
  
'So . . . how have you been?' Helen looked up from the sink she had been examining.  
  
'What?', she whispered very quietly. Sirius cleared his throat again.  
  
'I mean, well, what have you been doing these past-'  
  
'Sixteen years. I've been travelling. Around the world.' Sirius could barely understand her. He opened his mouth to say something else, but Helen bent down again and shook her head.  
  
'We can talk about the past, later. Now we need to find the children. I think, Sev said, that somewhere was a serpent engraved in one of the taps. Oh, here it is!'  
  
She pointed at the tap and then looked back at Sirius.  
  
'It has been locked, after the basilisk died. That little serpent shouldn't be visible. This means that it was indeed reopened. The only problem is, that you need to speak Parsel-tongue to reveal the entrance. I suppose you don't possess this talent. Neither do I. So . . .' She raised her wand and spoke a word.  
  
Half of the bathroom exploded to pieces.  
  
Sirius ducked his head and covered himself with his arms. He looked up as the sight cleared slowly.  
  
'Couldn't you have warned me?!', he said, straightening his robes. Helen shrugged and then walked up to the giant hole in the wall.  
  
'It goes down, here. I think we need to jump.' She motioned for him to come over. All Sirius could see was darkness.  
  
'Let's go.'  
  
~*~*~  
  
The tunnel was dark and wet. You had to take care not to slip out on the stone floor. Once, Helen stumbled and nearly fell, but she grabbed Sirius arm and steadied herself. After that she didn't let go of him.  
  
When they arrived at the end of the tunnel the entrance was open. Helen pulled out her wand and pointed it at the ceiling. She mumbled "lumos agorus" and a light left the tip of her wand and went up, where it spread out. Suddenly the whole Chamber was bathed in light.  
  
The massive statue of Salazar Slytherin filled the greatest part of the wall in the back. At the sides were stone pillars with snakes engraved. The ceiling was very high and in the soft light of the spell the Chamber seemed truly gigantic.  
  
And empty.  
  
Sirius and Helen crossed the room until they stood at Slytherin's feet. There was nothing that indicated that anyone had been here in the past years.  
  
'It doesn't look like they are here, does it?', Sirius said as he stared up at Slytherin. 'That guy must have had a really huge ego to built this Chamber.'  
  
'He was a lunatic. He could live with every dark creature in the world, but a muggle born gave him the willies.' Helen looked around and sighed. 'They are not here. But where else could they be? We have to find them. Outside the castle they are a target.'  
  
She was about to turn, when Sirius suddenly took a step forward to examine the stony robe of Slytherin. 'Wait a minute, take a look at this.' With his index finger he traced a fine line, where the stone was uneven. It looked like there was a very narrow gap.  
  
'Is that a door?', Helen asked. As a reply, Sirius put his hands flat on the stone and pushed as hard as he could. Slowly the wall gave in and revealed a secret passage. Just behind the door were several piles of books and a few other things. It looked as if whoever had put them in here had been in a hurry.  
  
The two adults began to take them out of the passage and again into the Chamber. 'Look at this!', Helen exclaimed when she reached the shell with the Pensieve inside. After a few minutes the way was cleared.  
  
'It is obvious that the demon has been working down here. I wonder where this passage leads to. Should we wait for Severus and Remus?' Helen leaned on a pile of books. Sirius Shook his head in response. 'I think we should hurry a little. They can take care of the books when they arrive. Come on.' And with that he disappeared into the passage.  
  
Helen looked up at the lit ceiling. Maybe it was better to leave it that way. And she followed Sirius.  
  
~*~*~  
  
Ten minutes later Snape and Lupin arrived at the Chamber.  
  
'Ok, they found something.', Remus assumed, looking up at the ceiling. They quickly went to the back of the room. They noted the space in the wall, that was the entrance to a passage. They also noted the dozens of large books that were messily piled in front of it.  
  
'Of course they left the heavy things to us', Snape snarled. Remus merrily shrugged and together they went to work.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
What do you think of this part? I plan on doing a real reunion scene between Sirius and Helen. But tell me, is this worth continuing? Is anybody reading this at all?  
  
Anyway, at least next chapter is in progress. 


	11. The much too soon Ending, or maybe not?

I am so sorry, but it seems that I will not be able to finish this before I go to England. . .  
  
Therefore I decided to post a quick summary about the things that were about to happen in the following chapters.  
  
I also have to say that I am currently working on several other things, so you can be assured that writer's block is not my problem. I can even say that the story itself is pretty much ready. But read for yourself.  
  
I hope you can get the important things in this. Just try to imagine the rest. Maybe I will finish this story after I return, it depends on the free time I will have.  
  
THANKS to MusicalHermione and libra071988 for your reviews and your support! Without you I would not have got past chapter two! My deepest regrets for letting this story down go to you!  
  
If you are still interested in *White Liquid On The Floor* read on . . .  
  
In chapter 11 Harry, Draco and Ginny would have to deal with the problem of finding their way back to Hogwarts, without the aid of their wands, because for some inexplicable reason they would not function properly. Later they would discover that they were trapped inside some kind of field inside the forest (like a magnet or something that wouldn't let them go).  
  
Harry would also finally notice and accept his feelings for Ginny and they would eventually get closer to each other (at this point I had planned for Harry and Draco to get attacked by a group of nasty little creatures called beezies. It was going to be rather amusing to see how Ginny interpreted their noises from afar. . .)  
  
In chapter 12 Severus and Remus would join Helen and Sirius in the forest, after going through the books and together they would search for the students and in the end find them and bring them back to Hogwarts (just imagine the rescue from the invisible field nobody could get out. . .Of course Sirius would be the one to get trapped with the kids.)  
  
In chapter 13 Harry, Draco and Ginny would tell Dumbledore everything they had found out and McGonnagal and Snape would go after the poor Ravenclaw third year girl who happened to carry a demon inside her.  
  
Helen would try to get Igor out of her (oh, by the way: I got he name from Frankenstein Junior, hilarious movie!) but the demon would take the chance and disappear before anyone could catch it (I am still not sure if I would give you any hints as to where it went . . . but a few paragraphs later you will find out anyway).  
  
In chapter 14 we would find out that the only way for Voldemort to get into the castle now would be to open the doors from inside. And there is only one person who could possibly manage that: PETER!  
  
Yay! And from this point all hell would break loose. Everybody would be trying to find the stinking rat or any evidence that there was someone evil inside the castle. Still no sign from the demon.  
  
Chapter 15 would be a little chaotic. Because the damned demon would suddenly reappear inside Helen Barnes (Igor got inside her when she freed the girl. She was not prepared for that.)  
  
The Ministry would come to action for the first time (well, because Helen was the only one from the staff with demon experience; yep, another DADA teacher who knows something!)  
  
Ginny would sit outside and surprisingly lay eyes upon a dirty rat at the edge of the forbidden forest. Sirius would go crazy and chase after it, with Remus trying to hold him back.  
  
Unfortunately, the Ministry officers who were to free Helen from the demon would notice Sirius and he and Lupin would be arrested (very dramatic, indeed). Dumbledore would only get an ultimatum of two days until they would be sent off to Azkaban. Remus: to spend the rest of his life rotting in a cell and Sirius: to receive the Dementor's kiss.  
  
In chapter 16 Helen would be lying in the hospital wing, unconscious (well, the Ministry people got the demon out of her but he died; maybe this would be a final scene for Igor with Flashbacks or something about his past . . .), while Harry and the others would restlessly try to find Peter.  
  
He would be the only chance for Sirius and Remus to get freedom. The bloody rat could not leave the grounds before opening the gates to Voldemort (Wormtail was not in very good terms with the Dark Lord anyway and failing on such an important mission would surely get him tortured and killed. *sobs mockingly*)  
  
In the end the kids would get him (there was planned to be a funny scene where Peter would grab Ginny and threaten Harry with killing her, but she would stomp on his foot and give him a good kick to his balls *grins evilly*).  
  
In chapter 17 we would witness the trial of Sirius and Remus. In the last minute Harry and Co. would arrive and hand out Peter, which would complicate matters greatly for the poor Ministry officers.  
  
Of course after a few very unnerving hours of interrogation and retelling everything from the beginning numerous times Sirius and Remus would be declared innocent and two days later every wizarding newspaper in Britain and beyond would have published the hole story in all the details.  
  
Chapter 18 would be the return to Hogwarts. Helen would have woken up and we would get our long awaited reunion scene between her and Sirius (I very much regret not doing this part, I had taken a liking to both of them T_T).  
  
Harry and Ginny would start dating publicly and Draco would finally loose his really bad reputation and get another one; not much better though. What would you think of a Slytherin being best friends with two Gryffindors?  
  
Somewhere after the return from the Forbidden Forest there would be an explanation for the odd behaviour of Hermione and Blaise in chapter 8.  
  
Well . . . Hermione was pregnant (!) and did not want to tell anyone about it, except Ron who was the father. That is why she did not go out and why the two soon-to-be-parents were alone so often.  
  
Blaise had taken a bravery potion so he could sneak into Professor Barnes office to steal a few answers for upcoming tests (the idiot was going to fail! ^-^).  
  
There would probably be an epilogue, with Dumbledore throwing a party to make up for all the trubble. Draco would meet a very nice Ravenclaw girl and . . . err . . . give Harry and Ginny a sly grin before walking out of sight with her.  
  
Helen and Sirius would be somewhere private and very romantic and Harry and Ginny would be dancing in a way that would make Ron turn rather red (even redder than usual) and Hermione would laugh her head off (after revealing her secret she felt really MUCH better).  
  
Um, I think that should cover up the greatest part of the story. What do you think?  
  
Oh, yes, there was also going to be a sequel, involving Voldemort and the final battle. Also a little bit of romance and stuff.  
  
If you have any questions, just leave a review. I will be here until next Thursday.  
  
All that said, I hope to hear your opinions and thanks to everyone who read this!  
  
Yours, EL 


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